Harness.



H. H. CRAWFORD.

HARNESS.

APPLICATION Hum 00T.31,1908.

H H. CRAWFORD.

HARNESS.

APPLICATION rum) OUT. 31,1908.

' Patented Nov. 16.1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

saw/ides UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I-IEZEKIAI-I H. CRAWFORD, OF- EL PASO, TEXAS.

HARNESS.

To all whom Qt may concern:

Be it known that I, HEZEKIAI-I H. CRAW- FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented a. new and useful Harness, of which the following is a specification.

()ne of the primary objects of my inven tion is to provide a harness of the racing type, which may be applied readily to any ordinary saddle harness to pivotally connect the horse to the vehicle, so as to obviate the quick jerky up-and-down movement which is ordinarily imparted to the ve hicle by the motion of the horse.

Another object of the invention is to provide a racing harness in which the holdback-strap and the trace, or at least the connection between the trace and the harness saddle, is in the nature of a single strap, which works loosely through a loop carried by a thimble, disposed upon the end of the shafts of the vehicle, and a loop at the forward end of the trace. The provision of the loop and the arrangement of the said strap with respect thereto, provides for a freedom of movement which is not ordinarily attained.

Other novel features of the invention will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings, and will be pointed out in the specific description which is to follow.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing the application of the harness embodying my invention, to a horse: Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the harness: Fig. 3 is a similar view of the thimble for receiving the end of the shaft, showing the manner of passing the hold-back strap therethrough.

In the drawings there is shown a vehicle shaft 5, and a harness saddle 6, both being of the ordinary construction.

A thimble is embodied in the harness of my invention, and is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, it being formed from a single piece of leather cut to suitable shape, in the blank, to form a thimble open at one end and closed at the other, which is indicated by the numeral 7, and a tongue which is integral with the open end of the thimble,

andwhich is turned back upon the thimbleand secured thereto by stitching, or otherwise, and forms a loop 8 at the said open end of the thimble. The thimble is provided at its closed end with a metallic cap 8 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1908.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909. Serial No. 460,471.

over the said end and prevents undue wear of the thimble.

The harness saddle 6 embodies a short loop 9, which supports a rectangular link 10, which in turn, supports a billet strap 11, provided with a series of openings 12, for the engagement of the tongue 13 of a buckle let of the ordinary construction. This buckle 1 1 may be adjusted v rtically along the billet strap, as will be apparent by an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings, and it supports a thill loop 15, through which the shaft or thill 5 of the vehicle is inserted. A box link 16 embraces one side of the thill loop 15, and the billet strap 11, and serves to hold the said thill loop against the said strap, but loosely, so that slight play may be had between the two elements.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that by adjusting the buckle let upon the billet strap 11, the thill loop 15 may be raised or lowered to proper position. 4

A strap 19, preferably round, is detachably connected at one end to one side of the link 10, as indicated by the numeral 20, and is passed loosely through the loop 8, so as to slide or work therein; and this strap is also passed through the loop 21 at the forward end of a trace 22, and is connected at its other end also to the link 10, as indicated by the numeral 23.

The billet strap supports a loop which is indicated in general by the numeral 24:, it being preferably in the nature'of a strap folded upon itself to form a loop at each end with its intermediate portions secured together. The loop at the upper end of the strap is indicated bythe numeral 25, and that at the lower end by the numeral 26, and the loop 25 carries a buckle 27, by means of which the loop, as an entirety may be removably and adjustably connected with the lower portion of the billet strap. The intermediate portion of the lower stretch of the strap 19, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, is passed through the lower loop 26, and is embraced, as is also the lower portion of the loop 24, by a mashed ring 28, movement of the strap 19 through the loop 26 being in this manner prevented. The loop 26 also supports a buckle 29, which is engaged with the lower billet strap which in turn is buckled as at 29 to the adjacent end of the girth 30.

From the foregoing description of my invention, it will be understood that the horse drawing the vehicle will be practically pivoted between the thill loops at each side of the harness, and that as the animal rocks between the shafts 5 of the vehicle, the strap 19 will work freely through the loops 8 upon the thimble and the loops 21 at the forward ends of the traces 22. The provision of these loops therefore provides against stretching of one portion of the strap and buckling of the other portion, at each movement of the animal.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure, by Let: ters Patent, is

1. In a harness of the class described, a thimble adapted to receive the end of a shaft, a loop upon the thimble, a hold-back strap, passed through the loop and freely movable there-through, a saddle to which the holdback strap is connected, and a trace connected with the saddle.

2. In a harness of the class described, a thimble with a metal cap adapted to receive the end of a shaft, the said thimble having an integral tongue at its open end bent back upon the thimble and secured thereto, to form a loop, a saddle and a hold-back strap connected with the saddle and passed loosely through the loop.

3. In aharness of the class described, a thimble adapted to receive the end of a shaft, a loop upon the thimble, a saddle, a girth, a connection between the saddle and the girth, on the billet of the saddle, a thill loop carried by the connection, a hold-back strap connected at both ends to the said connection, and working loosely through the loop upon the thimble, and a trace connected with the said connection.

4. In harness of the class described, a harness saddle, a thimble adapted to receive the end of a shaft, a billet strap connected to the saddle near the top thereof, atrace, aloop at the end of the trace, and a single strap connected at both ends to the said billet adjacent the upper end thereof and passed loosely through a loop upon the thimble and the loop at the end of the trace, a second billet strap carried by the harness below the first mentioned billet strap, and means carried by the single strap for attachment to the second mentioned billet strap.

5. In a harness of the class described, a harness saddle, a thimble adapted to receive the end of a shaft, the thimble being provided with a loop, a billet strap'connected to the harness'saddle near the top thereof, a trace, said trace being provided at its end with a loop, a strap connected at both ends with the said billet strap adjacent its upper end and passed loosely through the loop upon the thimble and upon the trace, a loop receiving the intermediate portion of the strap, means securing the strap in the last mentioned loop, the said loop being detachably connected with the said billet strap adj acent the lower end thereof, a second billet strap carried by the harness saddle below the first mentioned strap and arranged for connection with the girth, and means carried by the said last mentioned loop for attachment to the last mentioned billet strap.

6. In a harness of the class described, a harness saddle, a thimble adapted to receive the end of a shaft, and provided with a loop, a billet strap connected to the harness saddle near the top thereof, a trace, said trace being provided at its end with a loop, a strap connected at both ends with said billet strap adjacent its upper end and passing loosely through the loop upon the thimble and upon the trace, a loop receiving the intermediate portion of the strap, a mashed ring embrac ing the said loop and that portion of the strap which the loop incloses, the said loop being detachably connected with the said billet strap adjacent the lower end thereof, a second billet strap carried by the harness saddle below the first mentioned strap and arranged for connection with the girth, and

means carried by the last mentioned loop for I attachment to the last mentioned billet strap.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

l/Vitnesses J. HIsE MYERS, F. E. HUNTER. 

